Road Trip through America?

Question

Hi i was wondering how much a road trip through america would be. Say if i were going for 2 weeks, fly to nyc then take the greyhound coach or amtrak train to LA then back again, resting at cheap hotels and so on. How much do you think i'd need for the 2 weeks?

Answer 1

Doing a trip like that would be the best way to see the very worst of America, and once you got to the worst places, all you would want to do is sleep, because you won't be getting any on the bus!
The Greyhound network is great if you need to travel a long way as cheap as possible, but the really cheap fares don't allow you to stop off on the way.
Greyhounds also tend to attract a bizzare mix of passengers; you can garuntee at least one escapee from a mental institute on each bus. Sometimes this is the driver.
The main problem with touring by Greyhound is you won't be able get to any real places of interest without a car, (unless you are only interested in cities, but the best parts of America are definitly NOT the cities.
If you want to see alot, travel alot, but not drive yourself, then I'd recommend looking at a company called Green Tortoise; they do reasonably priced bus trips, including coast to coast (Boston / New York to San Francisco). It goes through various cities, but mainly is focussed on visiting the more rural national parks, which you would never get to on a Greyhound. It's cheap because you either sleep on the bus on some overnight travel, or grab a cushion and sleep round the camp fire... Check out their website below.

Answer 2

It all depends on the bus. Gas may be cheaper in the US, but it is still fairly expensive. The other thing you have to remember about the US, is that our cars are very inefficient and use up a lot of fuel. You would probably need about 2000 dollars for the trip. I would take 3000 pounds just to be safe. (I hope that conversion was correct.)

Answer 3

Maybe this is helpful
http://www.greyhound.com/en/deals/go_anywhere_fares.asp

Keep in mind, though, that bus stations are often unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, especially if you don't know the city well. I'd say renting a car would be a lot nicer, especially if you could give yourself a bit more time. Two weeks is a bit rushed...it's a big country...

Answer 4

Isn't a road trip meant to be using a car? Well it will cost you a bit more money using the bus and train as well as the fact you can't just go anywhere you feel like it unlike with a car.